Firestorm Lorraine - Turn one, Game two - Hold the Line

A couple of weeks back, Brett and I decided to make more of our series of one off games, now that we both have a degree of competence with the rules and general tactics of the game, so some kind of campaign of linked games seemed in order.

 Some time ago Brett picked up the Blood, Guts and Glory book, for his American Forces, and was quite thrilled with the prospect of Tank battles in NW Europe.

I must confess at the time this came out, and I checked out the German lists, suddenly finding my Wehrmacht was getting reduced to Reluctant Trained as the Yanks improved to Confident Vets, did not fill me with much enthusiasm...

However, having found a free online download of a smaller scale Firestorm setting entitled Lorraine from the BF website, it seemed too good to pass up the chance to learn the Firestorm campaign setting. We also have the Firestorm Market Garden and Bagration sets but haven't figured out how to use them yet, so this seemed the perfect way to learn...

The first game we played saw, Brett start the campaign, attacking my forces in Luxemburg (A3) from Mairy (B3). I chose a themed Panzerkompanie from BGG, which Brett had to attack with his Armoured Rifles, and we rolled up Counter-Attack. Brett had a bunch of big AT guns as his Firestorm troops for the mission which he put down on a ridge overlooking my position, which kept me pinned down behind it. We cocked up a bit giving the guns the benefit of being in cover for being dug in, not realizing they were too big to get this cover bonus... I managed to keep my force fairly intact, knocking out a couple of these guns with moving and storm troopering back out of harms way... but Brett advance across a broad front, and manage to get his 'teleporting' M10 tank destroyers behind me by about turn 4 or 5 and in one round of coordinated activity wrecked my force which being reluctant failed a bunch of morale rolls and quit the field giving Brett a 6-1 win and Luxemburg!

Thankfully Brett failed his campaign roll to destroy my Firestorm tanks (3 x PzIV/70s). We then rolled of for initiative for the next battle, which I won making me the attacker in the next game.

So on with game two of Turn One...

As the German player I am only allowed to attack from a location that has Firestorm Panzer troops. This limits my options some what, but allowed me the chance to counter attack round Luxemburg, rather than going for it directly, with the chance of cutting it off, so that's what I chose to do...attacking from A4 to B3 Mairy

I stuck with the same Panzerkompanie from BGG, which in the first Turn sequence of the game gives you 1250pts.

I took:
HQ - 2 x Panther G
3 x Panther G
4 x PzIV J
3 x StuG G
1 x GPG 'scout platoon'; 7 x P'faust/MG teams and 5 x 251/1D half tracks

Added to this force I had the Firestorm Panzers; 3 x PzIV/70's (proxied in game by jagdpanzers).

Brett took (IIRC):
HQ - 2 x Sherman 76's
2 x Shermans + 2 x Sherman 76's
3 x Shermans + 1 x Sherman 105
Tank Destroyer 'teleporters'; Security section plus 2 x M10's

Added to his force he had a Firestorm Infantry Platoon of 10 teams plus 1 x bazooka


 I set the terrain up before the game, representing (hopefully) the French countryside of the Lorraine area...

And we rolled up a mission; Hold the Line.

As soon as this happened, I felt doomed - I have played this recently against Paul in our Breville campaign and know only too well, whilst the defender suffers delayed reserves, he benefits from 2 ambushes. So Bretts 4 platoon tank force would mean, 2 platoons off and 2 platoons on, both ambushing! Sure enough that's what Brett did, having chosen the end to defend, and us placing objectives.

Brett predictably placed one objective centre rear of his position and I placed mine as near as possible in the open to my right hoping my tanks could get a quick clear run at it.

So the only troops on the table for Brett were his HQ tanks, one each tucked behind the left and right flank woods in below pic.

I had opted for a rush down the road with my half tracks, knowing full well they would get hammered, but this would sacrificially reveal Bretts ambush, hopefully allowing my following tanks something to do about it. I thought about AtTheDoubling the half tracks straight onto the objective, but it would only have made their demises all the more easy and even if they survived they wouldnt be able to contest the objective for a further turn.

The half tracks would be supported by the majority of the tank force.
I did however decide to send the StuGs on a long run round the left flank, thus threatening the rear of Bretts CO tank, and a threat on the rear objective. I also chose in the end to ATD them (this would be a tempting target to attract Bretts other ambush, and be as far from the front objective as possible...)

So, my deployment as below, Bretts tanks virtually hidden from view behind the woods...

...and view again from the other end...

Then I remembered to deploy my HQ Panthers behind the main central thrust following the half tracks...

The FHH Panzerkompanie, is horribly one dimensional - all armour - no real recce to mitigate ambushes. The GPGs are 'scouts' in name only... Nor do I get any artillery which could offer me the concealment of smoke,... its just lots of guns, that are easy to hit, and once hit and taking damage will quickly quit the field due to their poor morale rating. The only thing to keep me in it, is the high front armour of the Panthers and PzIV/70s...

So off we went 'to the races', with the GPG roaring off down the road, singing 'Gott mit uns' as he was going to have to be! The panzers followed up behind, trying to get positions to fire back at the likely place Brett would pop his ambush...

... with the StuGs heading off down the other flank, trying to draw more attention... I have no targets in the first turn, and stormtrooper at little closer with half tracks and PzIVs...

Bretts tankers cant believe their luck, seeing a trio of StuGs advancing having thrown caution to the wind... Brett lines up 3 tanks with 12 shots at the ATDing StuGs..., with the 105 looking at the half tracks the other way...

In the centre wood, 4 more Shermans train their barrels on the 'do or die' armoured infantry... and can also see the leading PzIVs coming round the farm house...

The Shermans let rip destroying all five half tracks, but 4 of the 7 teams inside survive, leaping from the flaming wrecks ... luckily meaning they are not required to take a platoon moral check...

Two of the PzIVs are also hit multiple times, but are only bailed, but sadly taking multiple bail results each, are forced to take morale checks and being reluctant promptly quit the field leaving yellow 'coward' markers to show their last known positions... However the remaining tanks do not require a morale check, the platoon being at 50% strength...

The StuGs receive the incoming 12 shots hitting on 3s, yet amazingly only suffer one destroyed and one bailed! Which doesn't amount to a morale check...

I have survived the ambush, and amazingly have a chance to continue! Really I should have been blown away in turn one, game over with three platoons out of 5 gone and a pathetic chance of needing a 5 to stay on the table... But sometimes thems the breaks, so press on ...

German turn 2, the bailed StuG remounts! And the two press on to threaten the rear of the COs Sherman...

The five Panthers look for payback against the central Sherman platoon; 10 shots needing 6's, can I get lucky?...

While the remaining 2 PzIVz's and '70's go after the Sherman 2iC...

The Panthers score 3 hits, destroying 2 Shermans and bailing a third... the platoon promptly rolls a 1 for platoon morale and quits the field, evidenced by the fleeing tank crew down the road...

The StuGs score two hits on the Sherman CO, who promptly decides to join the adjacent Sherman platoon and allocates hits there, which destroy 2 Shermans...

But the Sherman 2iC survives, all shots missing, curses! But still, that's really made it game on for the Germans!

Now Brett has some work to do! The 2iC returns fire at the remaining PzIVs destroying one and bailing the second, who fails morale and quits the field...

On the flank, Brett manages to get a Sherman out of the woods and onto the flank of the StuGs and the CO joins in the shooting... Darn stabilizers on the moving Sherman still gives him 2 shots, added to the 2 from the CO spell the end of the StuGs. Still they achieved more than I expected... and tied up a platoon on the wrong side of the board for a couple of turns...

Back to the Germans, the Panthers move up through the cornfield to try and take out the Sherman CO... The German infantry have still failed to motivate but dig in and stay gone to ground...

The 70's get into position to kill the Sherman 2iC tank...

This time up he goes in flames, and we're sitting on the objective, with nothing in range to get anywhere near to contest. The 70s fail their stormtrooper move so are left with their arse's literally hanging out, but I cant do much about that and there's little that can affect them...

The Sherman CO is only bailed... who scampers from his tank...

Bretts turn three and he rolls one dice for reserves needing a 5 and wouldn't he darn well get some! Up come the 2 M10s from the tank destroyer platoon. No stabilizers, gives them 2 shots at range and cover for slope of the hill at the rear of the 70's, needing 5's... Brett rolls 'box cars' followed by two successful FP tests and 2 of the 70's brew up! I need a 5 for platoon morale to stay in it, and get a 5!

The Shermans who had moved over from the other flank cant hurt the front armour of the panthers and miss the remaining 70.

In the Germans return turn, the Panthers in the cornfield knock out the 105 Sherman, and the 70 moves to the cover of the burning wrecked 70's, which also gets him contesting the objective, and aims at the M10s, as do the 2 HQ panthers.


The cornfield panthers destroy the Sherman 105...

Whilst one of the M10s is knocked out...

Bretts turn 4 sees his last reserve arrive, in the nick of time? The infantry Truscott trot desperately toward the German front objective but are still too far from it...

Brett has to break me this turn with his shooting or its all over... the M10 returns fire at the 70 but fails to destroy it, one shot hitting but bouncing off its front armour...

Brett moves the remaining Shermans from the flank to have a shot at the flank of the panthers. I had been unable to pass stormtrooper with them last turn to avoid such a possibility, but thankfully only bail one of the panthers in the cornfield!

And that is it, Brett has failed to break my force, and I start the next turn sitting on the front objective, claiming a 4-3 win! Who'd have thought it!? Games of dice eh?!

So that means I capture Mairy, and am one sector away from cutting off Luxemburg.

We both rolled to see if we destroyed the others Firestorm troops, needing 6s and both failed so our forces are still intact.

We also rolled to see who would get initiative for the next battle, with Brett winning the dice roll, so he will attack somewhere next game...

More next time, we hope to have Game 3 of Turn 1, next Thursday...